Not guilty verdict in Alabama capital murder case
A man who was charged with murder for the death of another man in has been found not guilty by a jury. The defense contended throughout the case that the man had acted in self-defense.
The incident occurred in 2012 at the home of the man who was fatally wounded. According to defense attorneys, their client had visited the home and was talking to a male family member when the home owner shot the visitor. The visitor fired back, killing the man and injuring his wife.
The jury also found the defendant not guilty on the charges of attempted murder and shooting into an occupied dwelling. They deliberated for eight hours over two days. On the second day, they asked the judge to explain Alabama self-defense laws.
The prosecution believed that it was the home owner who was acting in self-defense, and they suggested that the defendant fired the first shot. After the ruling, the prosecutors offered their condolences to the deceased man’s family.
The defendant’s attorneys said that they believe the key to the jury’s not-guilty verdict was the fact that their client’s story never changed. Reports suggest that the defendant’s account of the incident did not vary from the original statement he gave to police after the shooting occurred. He spent almost two years in jail awaiting trial, and had he been found guilty, he could have been sentenced to death.
This case is an example of one of the strategies an attorney may be able to pursue while defending a client against criminal charges. A person who is involved in a similar case may be able to work with a criminal defense attorney while challenging charges in court.
Source: AL.com, “Not guilty: After nearly 2 years in jail Irondale man who faced possible death sentence is acquitted“, Kent Faulk , April 29, 2014